This invention relates generally to turbines and more particularly to a system for blade monitoring in turbines for monitoring of blades for damage.
Compressors, such as gas turbine compressors, receive inlet air from an air source and compress that air so that it may be later combined with fuel in a combustion chamber. The gas created from combustion of the compressed air and fuel mixture is then used to force rotation of blades within the gas turbine compressor, and correspondingly, perform mechanical work on a shaft coupled to those blades. Over time, portions of the gas turbine compressor may become damaged. Gas turbine compressor blades may become damaged, for example, by particles, foreign objects, and/or corrosive elements in the inlet air, as well as excessive high cycle and low-cycle fatigue during compressor operation. Damage to gas turbine compressor blades may cause inefficiencies in gas turbine operation and/or unwanted vibrations in the compressor. In some cases, compressor blade damage may cause liberation of one or more blades, resulting in catastrophic damage to the compressor.
In a similar way, steam turbine compressors receive steam and compress the steam to high pressures forcing rotation of blades within the steam turbine compressor. Blades within a steam turbine compressor are susceptible to similar damage as described for gas turbine compressors.